Second-hand Wii U buyers can re-download past purchases, gamers claim

Wii U digital titles can be re-downloaded free of charge on second-hand consoles, some gamers are claiming. For example, if you buy a preowned Wii U that once had Trine 2 installed, you may be able to download it again at no extra cost.

That’s the claim of gamers over on NeoGAF this morning, as one gamer claimed to have bought a second-hand Wii U to find they could download Trine 2 and Nano Assault Neo for free.

This could be down to downloaded titles being tethered to the Wii U console itself, not the Nintendo Network ID used to buy it in the first instance. If true, the issue could see preowned Wii U buyers raking in free titles.

Also reporting on the issue, Eurogamer explained that the only way to transfer previously-purchased licenses from one Wii U console to another is to send the console to Nintendo itself.

The company has stated that it is prepared to help gamers facing the issue, but it seems a lot of hassle. Either way we’ve asked them for comment on the matter.